


1 | A Buzz and Something’s Up

by YanDanTDM



Series: Shady Hybrids AU [1]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Shady Oaks SMP, Video Blogging RPF, mcyt
Genre: Bee ThnxCya, Bees! What if you became a bee!, Gen, James is now bees, Non-human MCYT, Shady Hybrids AU, Shady Hybrids Series, Shady Oaks SMP - Freeform, mild body horror, pog?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-12 02:02:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29627427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YanDanTDM/pseuds/YanDanTDM
Summary: ThnxCya wakes up one day to find that he is 7 inches shorter than normal.It only gets weirder from there.
Series: Shady Hybrids AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2176866
Comments: 3
Kudos: 7





	1. Your Height Matters

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! *Shoves TBBM to the side* New Long-Fic!  
> Shady Oaks...I’m so pumped! I’m enjoying it a lot so far. Especially as someone who’s been starved for Trinity content and lore. So of course, I make an AU.   
> Hopefully I manage to get past the first book.  
> All three chapters have been written already. Each book will all be uploaded at once, with small one-shots in between.   
> Thank you for reading! Is this the first Shady Oaks fic? Who knows! I sure don’t.

The buzzing of the bees rings through my house and it causes me to wake up, feeling quite hot and sweaty. I yawn and roll off the bed and stand up, but immediately fall onto the bed with vertigo. I look around the room, to notice that the ceiling feels much higher than normal.

“Wh- why is everything so high today?” 

I stand up again, trying to get my balance, but this time I trip because my boots are too big.

That’s not normal. They fit perfectly fine yesterday.

Third time’s the charm, eh? I manage to keep enough balance to walk over to my chests, only to notice I can’t reach the top shelf. 

“Now this. This is odd.” Maybe I’m dreaming, but I just woke up from a dream! Either way, now I have to re-adjust all my clothes. Roll up my sleeves, cuff my trousers, stuff the ends of my boots with paper so I can actually walk, tighten the straps that hold my bag and inventory. I feel thinner too, maybe it’s the height change? I swear I can feel my bones. I’m not sure how tall I am now, but I know I used to be six foot.

I hear a ping on the chat.

_ <DanTDM> Heyyyy Jaaaames _

_ <ThnxCya> what _

_ <DanTDM> I made something for you, can you come and see it? _

_ <ThnxCya> sure _

Well this isn’t good. Now I have to explain the height difference to Dan! He’s bound to notice, he’s smarter than he looks. Maybe I should hide it. I walk over to the shoe rack and compare my boots to heeled ones. They do the trick, but I try walking and I know that they won’t do it. Dan will be able to notice, after all. I choose the normal boots. 

_ <ThnxCya> i have something to ask you about too _

_ <DanTDM> Ask away! _

_ <Thinknoodles> ThnxCya loreeeeee _

_ <ThnxCya> no _

_ <ThnxCya> well maybe _

I sigh, put down the communicator, and make the trek to Dan’s house. 

~~~

It’s not a long trek to Dan’s base, but I feel unnaturally tired by the end of it, for some reason. That and the straps I wear are rubbing against my back. I loosen them, but they still hurt. Eh, not to bother, I’m here now, Dan will find a solution.

I knock on Dan’s door.

“Come in!”

I press the button and open the door to see...a lovely and distorted photo of myself, much older than I actually am, for that matter. I look like...60 in the image. It’s pixelated and grimy, and I’m making...quite a face. 

Amazing.

“I’ve been doing some painting! Do you like it?” Dan grins, as I immediately burst into laughter.

“I love it! But I’m the best painter on the server, you know that!”

“HEY! All this work I do for you, and I don’t even get a thank you?” Dan mocks offence, and he does an over-dramatic job at it. 

I go for an even more exaggerated response. “I’m sowwy…” 

“DON’T YOU UWU TALK ME!” The two of us burst into laughter again. _God, our sense of humour is so broken, isn’t it?_ I think.

Once us two are done with our laughing fit, I speak up. 

“Is that all you wanted to show me? Or are there more splendid paintings?” 

“Nope, that’s all - but you can keep it if you want!” Dan winks. “What was it you wanted to tell me? After all, you never responded to me in chat.”

_Oh right, my height._

“Yeah, well, do you notice anything off about me?”

“...No?” Dan looks confused.

I takes a step closer to Dan, prompting the scientist to step back.

“No, I’m not gonna hurt you.” I reassure him. With everything that’s happening with Squid and Think, it’s easy to be worried.

Dan takes a step forward.

“Can you see anything now?”

“No- hey, wait a second!” Dan laughs out of shock. “You’re my height! Why are you my height?!”

He’s right. Normally, Dan only comes to my shoulders. Right now, while I am still a tad taller, you probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.

“That’s what I was gonna ask! Why on earth did my height change?!”

“I don’t know!” Dan laughs. “Prove it! This can’t be right!”

I roll down my sleeves and top. It immediately looks more like a dress than a jumper. “This usually fits me perfectly.” I explain.

Dan looks concerned and quickly puts on a serious demeanour. “Alright, let me think this through. Yesterday you were your normal height.” _This must be bad enough that Dan is genuinely concerned._

“6 foot, yep.”

“And now...you’re my height.”

“Yeah.” I’m not sure why Dan needs clarification on this. It should be obvious, no?

“This isn’t a dream on your or my end, that I know. And it isn’t an illusion either. Did you feel any pain last night?”

I simply shake my head.

“Did you lose any weight?” 

“I believe so?” I pull open my jacket by the sides, to show that it doesn’t just feel loose top to bottom, but on the left and right too.

“...Hm. How much weight did you lose?”

“I don’t know, I didn’t measure!” I attempt to lighten the mood, but Dan doesn’t seem convinced.

“You do look thinner, and less healthy, honestly. What was the other thing...oh right! Are you hungry? Thirsty?”

“No, I feel fine.” I’m a little hungry, but that’s from the small walk here. And it’s basically nothing.

“Hmm…” Dan begins to pace around the room. 

“You alright?”

“I’m thinking.” He continues to walk around me, nearly making me dizzy. He’s mumbling possible cures to himself, but I don’t understand a word. “So if you..no, that wouldn’t work, that would be too risky!”

“Dan, can you make some sense, please?”

“Oh, right.” He looks me dead in the eyes, it makes me slightly uncomfortable. “The best thing for you to do that won’t harm you is to drink honey, to get your weight up. It won’t make you taller again, that will come in due course. But it’s better to have some meat on you.” 

I nod. It’s not like I lost that much weight, but I’ll take whatever advice I can get. “Why honey, though?” I ask, not because I’m sceptical but out of plain old curiosity. 

“Because it has a high sugar count. It will help you put on fat.”

I was never a science person. I’d never be one. Therefore, I have no clue what Dan was on about. But it sounds right.

“Okay...well, I’ll see you at my gallery tonight?” I remember the invitation he got from Squid to meet him there yesterday. It was a specific time too - at sunset. 

“Hm? Why?” 

“Oh yeah. Squid wanted to see the paintings again. Plus Think wants to watch the sunset, apparently. Well, that’s what I gathered, the message was ambiguous.”

“Right. Didn’t get that message.” Dan looks away. I know it’s to hide his hurt, I used to do it myself. But why would they leave Dan out?

“I’m sure he just forgot. Why’d he leave you out of something like this, after all? You’re our friend! And we love you. As a bro, of course.” 

I can hear Dan smile.

“Thanks, man. I’ll see you there! Maybe I can persuade Justin to look over the player code. It might just be a coding error, after all.”

“You too! And good luck with that, he might get secretive!” I wave and run off, I almost feel like I’m flying.

~~~

When I get home I go straight to get a glass of honey from the bees. I’m not expecting it to taste good, I’ve never been much of a sweet tooth. But I know it’s best for me. Or, Dan does.

I don’t expect the perfect balance between sweet and savoury, and for it to just be...perfect, honestly.

I have to stop for a second to process it, before chugging the rest. It normally didn’t taste this great, why did it taste so nice now?! I genuinely feel refreshed, too, that never happens. 

Oh well, I’m sure it’s because I didn’t realise how hungry I was.

~~~

Later that day, at the time Squid and Justin suggested, Dan and I are waiting in my gallery, Dan poking fun at the images as I down the last of a honey jar.

“Look at me, I’m an evil squid, wakka wakka! No, no no no no…” Dan laughs at his horrible impression of Squid. 

“Pfft.” I walk around, trying to get used to the uncomfortable feeling in my shoes.

“Do you think my impression is good?” 

“Yes, it’s good in the sense that My Immortal is a ‘good’ fic.” 

“HEY- Wait, how do you even know what My Immortal is?!” Dan looks incredulous.

“I may be 30, but I’m up with the trends, Dan!” The two of us start laughing again. It’s the broken humour.

We’re still laughing when Squid and Think enter the room. At the same time.

“Hey James!” Squid asks, in an eerily cheerful voice. Well, it’s normally quite cheerful, but it’s eerie when compared to how Squid greets Dan. “Hey...Dan.”

“Hey…!” Dan waves, before looking upset. I actually feel a bit angry for once. I get you didn’t want him here, but at least be respectful! Still, I attempt to diffuse the awkwardness.

“Heyy, Squiddy, Justin! You wanted another tour round the gallery? Well, painter James is here to help-”

“Yes, of course, the gallery, we’ll get to that in due time!” Think appears from behind Squid and laughs. It’s not a happy laugh. “But first, me and Squiddy wanted to ask ya something!” He shoots a withering glare at Dan. “Privately.” 

“Now now, there’s no need for that!” I say, immediately stepping in front of the now mildly terrified Dan. “I’m sure Dan should be allowed to stay. After all, there’s nothing you guys could say that he shouldn’t have the right to listen into, right?” There’s no mistaking the tone of aggression in my voice. Whoops.

“Well now, no need to get angry with us! We just wanted to ask if you wanted to do another group prank on Dan, that’s all!” 

“Oh, silly me!” I put on a mask of relief (above my actual mask.) “I was just teasing, don’t worry.”

“Yeah, me too!” Dan laughs. “I came here to make sure James would be convincing.”

We all know that everyone in this room has said at least one lie tonight.

“Look, let’s just go outside and watch the sunset. It will help cool us off before a good night.” he suggests.

Everyone agrees and we all go outside.

~~~

The tension quickly wears off in the peace of the sunset and the jokes we crack. None of the other server members are around. It’s nice to forget about our worries for a little while and just hang out. As friends, not enemies. For once.

But that peace doesn’t last long. 

As the sun just hits halfway over the horizon, I’m hit by a sudden wave of drowsiness. I yawn.

“I’m gonna head back to my base, guys. I’m getting tired.”

“Aw, really?” Squid looks at me with pleading eyes. “Stay a little longer! Until the sun dips, then you can head back.”

Dammit, Squid!

“Alright, I guess I will…” I smile and continue to watch the sunset. “It’s worth it, anyways. I might just...just…” I’ve lost my train of thought.

“James?” Dan asks, concerned. I also forgot to mention the height thing. Whoops. Good thing the other two were too preoccupied to notice.

“Just...just...ngh-“ My eyes involuntarily shut.

Then the world goes dark as I fall into a deep sleep.


	2. Trees and Flowers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flowers smell nice sometimes.

When I awaken for the second time, I roll over and immediately fall to the ground. 

“Ow...hey, where-”

I look around. It’s sunrise, and I'm in the middle of my forest...right next to my house. I just fell out of a tree, with a beehive attached. “What the...alright, this is weird.” 

I think back to the day before.

I had a small argument with Squid and Justin, then we (including Dan) went out to watch the sunset, with banter passing between us. Then...I don’t quite remember. I remember Squid asking him to stay, that is it. Maybe I should ask in the chat.

_ <ThnxCya> hey what happened last night _

_ <DanTDM> Oh good, you’re awake! You randomly passed out watching the sunset. I got you back to your base. _

_ <ThnxCya> why’d you put me in a tree _

_ <DanTDM> Sorry what? _

_ <ThnxCya> i woke up in a tree _

_ <DanTDM> I...did not put you in a tree?? What?? _

_ <iBallistiicSquid> Haha, Tree man  _

_ <ThnxCya> i am not a tree man. whatever _

_ <iHasCupquake> I’m sorry? James PASSED OUT?? _

_ <ThnxCya> yea i’m fine tho _

Well that doesn’t explain it at all. I put away the communicator and think through what I plan to do today. I want to continue with my bee farm, maybe go mining..oh yes, and I want to talk with Think about how suspicious he’s been lately. 

It takes me a second to get my balance again. I slip to my chests to get some blocks when I remember Dan’s advice - drink honey to put on weight. 

Looks like I’m doing that first. 

I go over to get some honey from the bees. Entering the room goes as normal. I have a few jars, and that’s it. 

I don’t expect to be immediately taken aback by the smell.

It’s not like it’s a bad smell. It smells great. I’m immediately drawn in by it.

But why on earth is the smell so...strong?

I pause for a second, allowing myself to take in and process the smell in the room. By the time I snap out of it, all the bees are out of the hives, happily pollinating from the flowers and filling themselves up with honey. 

“Oh- uh..what was I..?” I pause. Why did I come in here again? Oh right, to get honey.

I carefully go up to the bees and get some honey, careful not to break anything. I only manage to get a few for the time being, but I’m sure I’ll be able to get more. I drink one and keep the rest for storage. In the presence of the flowers, it tastes even better.

Another ping of my communicator. This time, it’s a whisper from Dan.

_ <DanTDM whispers to ThnxCya> Hey, how are you doing? I told Justin and Squid about the height thing. Think said he’ll check over it that night - you should ask him later. How’s the drinking honey thing? Any other effects? _

Huh, speak of the devil. I type out an answer for each of the questions except the last. Other effects? I don’t think so. Well, other than the flowers thing. That’s not too concerning, though.

_ <ThnxCya whispers to DanTDM> i’m doing fine, a bit drowsy, especially after waking up in a tree this morning. thanks for telling them, i was planning on chatting to Justin later today anyways. the honey is great - i’ve been drinking it more than intended, it honestly tastes amazing! as for other effects..well, only one. i zoned out while in my bee room, the smell of the flowers was really strong.  _

_ <DanTDM whispers to ThnxCya> Alright, good. The flower thing doesn’t sound too bad, but it’s best to avoid that room for the time being for the smell to dissipate. And make sure you get home early tonight, in case you pass out again. _

_ <ThnxCya> ok  _

I’m about to put down the communicator, but then realise I forgot to whisper.

“SHOOT-“ 

_ <BigB2t4zz> You alright, mate? _

_ <ThnxCya> yeah no worries i accidentally typed in chat  _

_ <Thinknoodles> sus _

_ <ThnxCya> rude _

_ <ThnxCya> hey think can i chat to you later _

_ <Thinknoodles> Sure _

Now I can put down my comm for real. I then decide to continue with the bee farm.

~~~

The day of farming goes fine. I was taken aback by the odd brightness of the day at first, but I get used to it quickly. The smell of the flowers keeps distracting me from my work, they all smell so strong, and good too. But no, I have to focus, so I do.

Once the renovations are over, I text Think.

_< ThnxCya>_ _omw, noodle boy_

_ <Thinknoodles> NOODLE BOY?! _

~~~

Think’s base is a bit further from spawn than my own. Oddly enough, my legs actually hurt by the time I get there, so I lean against the wall. 

“Hey, James!” Think says, making me jump. 

“Hey Think!” I respond, shaken. “So, can we talk about you-know-what?”

“Your height? Certainly.” Think comes up in front of me and his face falls. “I found absolutely nothing wrong with your code.”

What?

“Nothing?!” I’m shocked. How the hell did my height change happen then?

“Nothin. Zilch. Nada.” Think shakes his head. “Sorry, big man. I checked player history too - nothing done to your code as of recent.” The bearded man sighs. “I actually have a question for you.” 

“Go ahead?” I hope this doesn’t have to do with the interaction from yesterday.

“Yeah uh...you know Kindness?”  _ Darn.  _ “There’s a new piece that has been found. And it wants you to find it-”

I immediately cut him off. 

“Stop right there. I’m not getting caught up in any more of this Kindness business.” I nervously chuckle. 

“You’re already involved in this Kindness business.”

“Well I don’t want to sink further down the rabbit hole!” I sigh indignantly, before catching myself. “Sorry.”

“Well I guess that’s a no then.” Think says, disappointed. 

I turn to leave as he calls out.

“Hey, before you tell Dan about this-”

“What?” I whip back around. “I never said-”

“I’d cover up the black marks on your face, if I were you.” Justin says it in such a matter-of-fact tone, it unnerves me.

“What black marks?!”

“Oh, you didn’t notice them, apologies! I’ll get you a mirror, and some concealer.” Justin laughs before running inside. I quickly follow.

“Black marks? What do you mean?”

Justin holds up a mirror to me, and I can see four lines, two under each eye, going from the bottom of my eye to the bottom of my face. They’re all faint, you wouldn’t see them from far away. But...WHAT?! 

“That’s what I mean.” Think butts in, when he realises that I’ve gone silent from shock. 

“O-oh.”

“Here’s some concealer. It might not be exactly your skin tone, but it’s close enough.” Think puts the bottle and a sponge into my hand, leaving me to attempt to apply it myself. Badly.

“Why do you have a concealer anyways?” I ask.

“It’s a man’s secret.” Justin winks, before laughing. “Pfft, you look shocked. Here, let me help you apply it.”

I never expected my friend, who’s over a decade older than me and already greying (despite his long hair), to be a makeup enthusiast, but here we are.

“I’m not an enthusiast or anything, you just learn things from helping your wife.”

Oh.

After that whole shenanigan, the marks on my face are hidden, but I find the paint on my face uncomfortable. Think again checks the code, no changes. “This isn’t something code related,” he says “You'll have to ask Dan.” 

“Eh, I’ll do it tomorrow.”

I procrastinate too often, don’t I?

~~~

Eventually, I go caving. Looking for diamonds, seeing as no one would give me that darn diamond armour I was promised. (Thanks, Squid!) As soon as I hit water, I wash off the concealer the best I can. I’m thankful as soon as it’s off. 

I have to travel quite far, unfortunately. Most caves have been mined in by the others already. Well, I don’t intend to get near the border again though, so I’m careful. 

Soon enough, I find a skeleton dungeon. 

“Poggy!” 

After lighting up the room and saving the location, I goe to raid the chests. The usual, bread, coal, gold, etc. 

Oh yeah, and a Bane of Arthropods book. 

“Eh, pretty useless, but I guess I’ll take it-”

But as soon as I touch it, a stinger of pain shoots up my hand and arm.

“Ow.”

I then try again to get the book. Pain.

“Ow.” 

Never mind. Why on earth did a Bane Of Arthropods book hurt me? I’m not an arthropod, I’m a player.

Oh well. I mark the spawner as taken and walk away.

~~~

I cave for a little while longer, before I start to feel drowsy again. I’m out of honey pots, too.

Dan’s warning suddenly comes to mind. 

_ “And make sure you get home early tonight, in case you pass out again.” _

Oh no.

“Shoot…” 

I attempt to find a bed or formulate one using string and wood so I can sleep, but it’s too late. I fall asleep on top of my crafting table, to the pings of someone messaging me.

_ ~~~ _

_ <DanTDM> James, did you get home? _

_ <DanTDM> James? _


	3. Winged Terror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s complete.

I wake up again to the sound of buzzing, incredibly drowsy. It takes me a second, but then I remember the predicament I fell asleep in.

“Oh shoot, I’m stuck in a cave-”

Then the sunrise hits my face. Ah yes, the  _ sun.  _ In a  _ cave. _

“What?” 

I rub my eyes, and I see a clear flower forest. The smells in the forest cause me to have to lie back down again; they’re so strong it’s almost dizzying. My head and back feel oh so heavy too. 

I attempt to stand up to look around, but immediately my legs begin to hurt, badly. I let out a yelp of pain as I fall to the ground. 

“What on earth…”

I try again, this time to walk. Again, I trip and fall due to pain in my legs.

“I can’t walk? What?”

A ping on my communicator runs through.

_ Right, I have that,  _ I think.  _ I can call for help.  _

_ <JeromeASF> anyone got Berries? _

_ <iHasCupquake> No I don’t have any, sorry <3 _

_ <ThnxCya> hey guys _

_ <DanTDM> JAMES! _

_ <ThnxCya> i have a slight predicament _

_ <JeromeASF> Well, can we help? _

_ <ThnxCya> well i woke up in a random flower forest and i can’t walk  _

_ <DanTDM> Well that does sound pretty bad. Coords?  _

I’m about to switch to the coordinates function when I suddenly become aware of the dryness in my throat. I look around and spot a pool of water, not too far away. I could drag myself to it.

_ <ThnxCya> uhhh i’ll get them to you in a sec. i’m thirsty and there’s a pool of water.  _

_ <DanTDM> Well, can you describe the area you’re in? _

_ <ThnxCya> flower forest, it’s in a meadow i believe. there’s some water around. i can see some small hills and mountains in the distance. it’s warm. _

I slip my comm away, ignoring the pings of responses. Slowly, I attempt to drag myself over to the pool of water, before pulling out an empty honey jar and using it to help pull myself along. I’ll use it to drink the water when I get there.

It takes me longer than I’d like to get over there, but when I do, I instinctively breathe a sigh of relief. I’m about to finally get some water when I see my reflection.

I’m shocked into silence.

My whole body...it’s been warped. The two faint streaks on my face have turned into a highly visible black, and my eyes have turned from their usual olive to a pale yellow. My wrists are covered in some form of mildly fluffy striped yellow and black fur, and so are the areas just above my boots. My legs have turned a much paler skin tone, and they’re thin and boney. That’s not even the worst part.

Antennae. Two strings come off the top of my head, ending in a dark beige ball. They stick straight up, with only a small bend at the top. Wings. WINGS. Two translucent blue wings sticking out of my back, wingspan reaching to my elbows. There’s some thin lining intertwined in them. They don’t look like elytra, rather a bug’s wings.

_ Bee wings. _

_ I’ve turned into a bee. _

I find myself just staring at myself in the reflection, whether it’s out of shock or disgust I cannot tell. Combined with the smells of the area and the silence excluding the noises of the bees, it feels surreal. Maybe the past few days have been a dream, and I’ll wake up perfectly normal again if I pinch myself hard enough. 

It’s the pings that bring me back to reality. The pings that remind me that  _ this is real. _

I open my communicator with shaking hands and I desperately begin to text.

_ <Thinknoodles> James, can you please RESPOND?! Everyone’s worried about you. We need your coords. _

_ <ThnxCya> guys; _

_ <ThnxCya> guys/; _

_ <DanTDM> You alright? _

_ <ThnxCya> thingns have gone from bad to far4 farr worse., _

_ <ThnxCya> help0 _

_ <ThnxCya> plelase  _

_ <DanTDM> JAMES?! _

_ <Thinknoodles> Well we can’t help you without your coords. _

I imagine Think saying that completely deadpan and it makes me laugh. It gives me enough strength to check my coords. I’m ‘only’ a few hundred thousand blocks out. 

_ <ThnxCya> 108372, 67, -82718 _

_ <Thinknoodles> ...Isn’t that outside the world border? _

_ <DanTDM> What? _

I’m OUTSIDE THE WORLD BORDER?! AGAIN? I haven’t been teleported out to spawn - and I wasn’t anywhere near while caving. How’d I get out here?

Justin echoes my thoughts.

_ <Thinknoodles> How on earth did you get out there? _

_ <ThnxCya> does/ it look likek I know _

_ <DanTDM> I’m coming to look for you.  _

_ <Yammy_XOX> Weeell if this wasn’t the greatest thing to wake up to. _

_ <JeromeASF> Agreed _

_ <Thinknoodles> You legitimately can’t reach that area. You can get close to the world border. _

I put down the communicator. I don’t want to hear how I’m beyond saving.

_ <iBallistiicSquid> Are you v i b r a t i n g James, or is your communicator broken? You really can’t type _

_ <BigB2t4zz> Not the time, Squid. _

Yes, of course I’m vibrating. Thank you, David, very cool. 

I just...sit down, for a bit. I’m hungry, and I try downing the water but it doesn’t help. 

I’m thirsty for honey.

There’s a beehive on a tree, at the edge of this clearing. If I can just reach it…

I try to stand up again, and launch myself towards the hive, ignoring the pain in my legs. I can  _ feel  _ my wings flutter, and that unsettles me enough that I faceplant on the ground.

Well, this won’t work.

I lay there for who knows how long. Just taking in the smells of the flowers and the thirst in my throat. I almost want to attempt to eat one of them. It wouldn’t be too weird, would it? 

Then I hear the groan.

I whip around, flapping my hands. When I look up, I see a Zombie...with the poison effect. I look at it confusedly for a second.

It only occurs to me what happened when I start coughing. 

Of course. I’m a bee. I can shoot poisons. But I have to sacrifice myself to do it.

I lay back. Maybe my death will cause me to wake up. 

**_< ThnxCya was poisoned>_ **

I wake up in the same flower forest. I can even see my communicator vibrating from a few blocks away.

Well, that didn’t work.

I make the crawl back over to the comm and fumble with it, going back to the chat. It’s filled with panicked messages over my death.

_ <Thinknoodles> CRAP, JAMES! _

_ <DanTDM> JAMES? _

_ <iHasCupquake> Is he okay? _

_ <iBaliisticSquid> No of COURSE HE’S NOT JAMES, RESPOND _

And so on. 

_ <ThnxCya> i’m fine i’m fine, i’ll explain when i get back to shady oaks _

_ <DanTDM> Okay, thank god. _

_ <Thinknoodles> Speaking of getting back to Shady Oaks - I can’t teleport people through the border. That will cause them to glitch. But I can see that people can’t leave through the border, but they can enter through it. So I’m going to teleport James and Dan to similar places in the border, and James has to get through. Good luck, you two.  _

_ <DanTDM> Got it. See ya there, James. _

I sigh. I like this place, somewhat. But I’d give anything to be back at Shady Oaks, back with my friends, even if it means being...well, a bee. 

**_< DanTDM was teleported to 9975,64,-9975>_ **

**_< ThnxCya was teleported to 10975, 64, -10975>_ **

**_< DanTDM suffocated>_ **

**_< ThnxCya suffocated>_ **

_ <Thinknoodles> wait hold on _

**_< DanTDM was teleported to 9975,85,-9975>_ **

**_< ThnxCya was teleported to 10965, 85, -10965>_ **

_ <DanTDM> Good job.  _

I fall a few blocks and land on my butt. Ow. Well if that wasn’t whiplash. 

It takes me a second to adjust to the mountains. It’s a slightly terrained area, and a lot of bumps. From where I’m sitting, I can see the forcefield of the border.

There’s no flowers.

I’ve been given instructions, I’m gonna have to crawl or drag myself over to the border. Here goes nothing.

The first thing Dan sees is me, half-crawling, half rolling through the border. I can’t help but sigh in relief when I hear his familiar accent.

“D-did you just roll through the border?”

“I told you I couldn’t walk.” I sound much happier than I am. 

“Oh- OH MY GOD WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!”

There it is.

“I...don’t know? I think I turned into a bee. I don’t know why or how.” 

Dan shakes his head. “This explains the height thing. A full transformation.” He sighs. “No matter. I’m getting you home.” 

“Teleportation again?” I ask. 

“No, we’re walking.” 

“We’re so far out…” I look at the coordinates nervously.

“You made it this far out once. We can do it again.”

“I guess so. But I can’t walk.” 

“I’ll carry you. Get on my back.” 

Oh, okay. 

I climb onto Dan’s back, and he begins to walk. It’s nice. Especially since it’s already quite clear. 

“Will you be able to carry me the whole way?” I ask, but then quickly cover myself up. “You know, cause it’s so far..”

“Yep.” Dan laughs. “You’re really light. That’s something to note.”

He quickly texts on his comm, and I peer over his shoulder.

_ <DanTDM> I’ve got James. He’s a little screwed up, but I’ll explain that later. We’re both okay. _

_ <Thinknoodles> Thank god. _

And we set off.

We make small talk the whole time. How we’ve been, stuff about my music, and so on. We wordlessly agree not to talk about the situation at hand.

It’s a long walk, as I said, especially with Dan carrying me. To the point it gets to sunset, and I fall asleep on his back. I can hear him laugh as I do so.

~~~

I wake up on a soft bed for the first time in two days. It feels nice. I can feel something propped up against my legs.

I sit up and look around. I’m in Dan’s base, in his bedroom specifically. The rays of sunrise filter in the windows. 

“Ah, you woke up.” 

“Huh?!” I turn to see Think sitting there, with Squid passed clean out on his lap. I turn and see Dan is passed out on mine. 

“Aww.” I laugh, and make a buzzing noise.

Oh right, I’m a bee. 

“Yeah, you turned into a bee. It’s nothing to do with the code, mind you.”

“I guessed. Is the rest of the server aware?”

“No. Dan said he’d talk when you woke up. I don’t think that will be soon.” 

We laugh a little and wait. Think tosses me some honey. I missed the taste of honey. 

When Dan and Squid wake up, there’s some small talk, before the serious stuff starts.

“So, James has been turned into a bee.” Dan states. “How are we gonna deal with this?”

“I can’t walk. I legit can’t leave this room yet.” I mention.

“But you can make your wings flutter, right? I saw them flutter.” Think responds. Did they? I didn’t feel it.

“So we’ll have to teach James how to fly. I’m sure that will be...interesting.” Dan laughs. 

“Are those wings gonna hold James’ weight?” Squid asks.

“He’s lost a lot over the last few days so possibly. Hopefully.” Dan answers. 

“No, he should be able to.” Justin says. “He can’t walk. His body will adapt. Fast. It’s what all players do.”

The consensus is that Think’s right. I’ll learn to fly. That’s fun. 

Other things are mentioned, but I’m not really focused.

It’s when Dan brings up the possibility of how this was caused I perk up.

“So yeah. How the hell did this happen?”

Everyone is silent. 

“I didn’t do anything out of the ordinary.” I say, sitting up. “So…”

“No leads whatsoever?” Dan infers. Silence. “...Right. Well, we have to figure out something, cause James is being forced to fly like a bee-”

Squid immediately cuts in with song.

“Black and yellow energy! Only me on my team, naturally~”

I shout out the next lyric.

“I SEE A DREAMER OVER THERE BY THE WATER-”

Justin joins in. “BUT I GOT NO, BUT I GOT NO-“

Dan stamps on the ground to get our attention. “Kakorraphiacan-you-guys shut up and focus?” 

Everyone bursts out into laughter. Well, everyone except Dan, but he smiles. 

Then, suddenly, Squid perks up. 

“Black and yellow energy! That’s it!” He gets up and immediately runs out of Dan’s base. He comes back with a certain netherite sword.

“...Why did you bring Kindness here?” Dan asks. 

“Look!”

We all look at the sword. Then we realise what Squid means.

It’s glowing black and yellow.

“It predicted this! Kindness is glowing the colours of the bees! I noticed it but I thought it was just my eyes - now I know it’s not!”

“More like Kindness caused it.” I say.

“No she didn’t! I’m sure she didn’t.” Squid responds, getting defensive.

“Let’s not stir up anything. Instead, we’ve got something new to worry about today.” Justin butts in. 

“I’m a bee now.” I sigh, upset. I don’t really want to be stuck like this.

“And that doesn’t matter. Because you’re still ThnxCya. And we care about you.” Dan comes over to me and pats my head. It makes me blush. “And if you need anything? Give us a buzz. We’ll know something’s up.”

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy!


End file.
